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Bassel Khaiat

Bassel Khaiat (Arabic: باسل خياط, born 29 August 1977) is a Syrian actor, working in theatre, television, and film.

Early life

Khaiat was born in Damascus, Syria, and has a brother named Mohammed. Khaiat started acting at eight years old. He applied for admission at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, but was rejected. He reapplied the following year, was accepted, and graduated in 1999, the same year as Kosai Khauli and Sulafa Memar.

He was an athletic child and grew up in a supportive environment for the arts. His father was a big fan of the movies and his mother came from a musical family.

Khaiat had a difficult upbringing, forcing him to work from a young age. He has described the death of his father as one of the most difficult experiences he has had to endure.

Career

Khaiat has acted in France, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. He is part of a group of Syrian actors who dominate Arab television series, along with Khauli, Taim Hasan, and Maxim Khalil, forming a regional rat pack.

Khaiat's entry into television was a Syrian television show in 1992, Once Upon a Time. In 2000, his portrayal of Amer in the show Secrets of the City, by Hisham Sharbatji, won over audiences. He received critical acclaim in 2004 for his role in the series Big Dreams, by Hatem Ali, followed by successful television series, such as prominent Syrian shows Spring of Cordoba, On the Brink, Abu Khalil Al-Qabbani, and Women's Love.

In 2004, he was featured in the movie The Gate of Sun, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

He broke into Egyptian television through his series Niran Siddiq, broadcast during Ramadan, in which he portrayed Gaddaf. He attracted Egyptian audiences and directors through his portrayal of psychologically complex roles in other Ramadan series My Way alongside the famous Egyptian singer Sherine, who is he a fan of, Al-Mezan, 30 Days, and The Journey.

In 2015, alongside with Kosai Khauli, Carmen Lebbos and Ghada Abdel Razek, Basssel was one of the judges in Arab Casting, a television show that aimed to explore the acting talent of the Arab audience. The show was aimed to talents of ages between 16 - 60. The show success among Arab audience led to another season in the following year.

In 2018, he was featured in Tango, broadcast internationally on Netflix. The same year, he won a Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award for his work.

In 2019, he served as a judge for the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children.

In 2021, as part of MBC's 30th anniversary celebration, Khaiat and other superstars from the Arab world such as Yousra, Nasser Al Qasabi, Amina Khalil, Dhaffer L'Abidine, Asser Yassin, and Somaya El Khashab, appeared in a four-segment episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He was profiled in GQ magazine by Nasri Atallah in 2021.

In 2023, he was announced as the first male ambassador for the Middle East for the Italian fashion house Bulgari.

Personal life

Khaiat was engaged for over two years to Tunisian artist Hend Sabry.

In 2020, he, along with many Syrian actors, was embroiled with the Syrian Artists Syndicate, after the president, actor Zuhair Ramadan, made several remarks stating that some actors had called for killing of the Syrian people. Khaiat issued a statement that his dismissal from the Syndicate was because of statements made without evidence, that he would reschedule payments to the Syndicate, and that artists have the right to know what they are paying for and what they will get in return.

He is married to Nahed Zaidan, with whom he has a son, Shams, and a daughter, Isabelle. His favorite actor is Daniel Day-Lewis.